I Have 1 Million Amex Points, but I Refuse To Use Them for Hotels

Updated: October 18, 2026, 8:30am CDT

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Table of Contents

Why Amex Hotel Redemptions Rarely Work for Me
How I Book Hotels Without Using Amex Points
Why I Save My Amex Points for Flights
Final Thoughts

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I spend a lot of nights in hotels, and I have roughly 1 million American Express Membership Rewards points sitting in my account. One might assume those points would cover my hotel stays for a while. In reality, I almost never use them to book a room. I’d rather pay for a room and keep those points available for flights.

Here’s why that works better for the way I travel.

Why Amex Hotel Redemptions Rarely Work for Me

I like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy hotels, but I rarely get good value transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to either program.

At Upgraded Points, we value Amex points at 2.2 cents each, compared with 0.5 cents per Hilton point and 0.7 cents per Marriott point. Amex points transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, so 100,000 Amex points would become 200,000 Hilton points. We value those Hilton points at about $1,000. Marriott transfers are 1:1, meaning the same 100,000 Amex points would get me 100,000 Marriott points, worth about $700 by our estimates.

We value those 100,000 Amex points at about $2,200. These are estimates, and a particular hotel stay could be a great deal, but I would need to find a shockingly good redemption before I’d transfer my Amex points to Hilton or Marriott.

Even if I book through AmexTravel.com instead of transferring points to a hotel program, the best I’d normally get is 1 cent per point toward a stay at a Fine Hotels + Resorts property. That means a $700 room would still cost me 70,000 Amex points.

I’d much rather pay for an eligible prepaid stay through AmexTravel.com with my Platinum Card^® from American Express, earn 5 points per $1, and save my existing points for a flight where I can get more out of them.

Hot Tip:

Thinking about transferring Amex points? Take a look at our Amex transfer partners guide first. It shows how many points you’ll get with each partner, so you can see whether the transfer makes sense for the trip you’re booking.

How I Book Hotels Without Using Amex Points

I still love booking hotels with points. As a World of Hyatt Globalist, I usually check Hyatt first when I need an award stay. I redeem Hyatt points for everything from family trips to luxury hotels, and when I need to add to my balance, I generally transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points rather than Amex points.

Sometimes, I just pay for the room and save my points for a flight. When I do, I compare the hotel’s direct rate with what I can book through Fine Hotels + Resorts. If the prices are close, I’ll often book through AmexTravel.com and pay with my Amex Platinum card.

Not only do I earn 5 points per $1 on the prepaid stay, but I also get perks like breakfast for 2 guests, a property credit, and guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout. Those extras can make it a better deal than booking directly with the hotel.

Four Seasons Doha room — At $300 for the night, Four Seasons Doha was worth paying cash for — especially with more than $200 in FHR perks. I saved my Amex points for flights. Image Credit: Juan Ruiz

I get the hotel perks I want without dipping into my Amex points balance, saving them for better value on flights.

Why I Save My Amex Points for Flights

Flights are where I get the most excited about using my Amex points. They’ve helped me book business- and first-class awards I probably would have had trouble paying for out of pocket.

One example is an EVA Air business class trip I booked for my wife and me from Seattle (SEA) to Taipei (TPE). I used 85,000 Amex points per person on flights priced at roughly $4,500 each.

EVA Laurel Business Class product — Premium cabin flights are where I get the most value from my Amex points. Image Credit: Juan Ruiz

I’m still at the mercy of award availability, and premium cabin seats can be tough to find, especially to or from Asia. But when they do become available, I want my Amex points ready to book these incredibly difficult-to-find award seats.

Amex points have come through for family trips, too. I booked Air France business class seats from Miami (MIA) to Paris (CDG) for my family and my mom. The awards were priced at 60,000 Flying Blue miles per person, but I took advantage of a 25% Amex transfer bonus and only spent 48,000 Amex points per ticket. The cash fares would have topped $20,000.

Air France business class family — I booked 5 Air France business class seats from Miami to Paris for my family using about 240,000 Amex points. The cash fares topped $20,000. Image Credit: Juan Ruiz

I wouldn’t have paid that in cash, but the points let us make the trip more comfortable in business class instead of economy.

I have plenty of ways to cover a hotel stay, whether that’s Hyatt points, a free night award, a card benefit, or a reasonable cash rate I’m happy with. Premium cabin award seats are harder to come by. When I find them, I want the Amex points in my account to book them.

Bottom Line:

A hotel redemption might save me money on a room I would have booked anyway. The right flight redemption lets me put my family in business class for a fraction of the cash fare. That’s where my Amex points have delivered the most value over time.

Final Thoughts

I’m not holding on to 1 million Amex points for a single dream first-class flight. I use them for trips I’m actually taking, whether that’s a business-class seat I wouldn’t buy with cash or 5 economy seats to bring my family home from Europe.

I’d consider using Amex points for a hotel if I found an unusually good deal. But for most stays, I’d rather transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt or pay cash for the room and keep Amex points for flights that continue to deliver impressive value for me.